york swirls

Monday, December 24, 2012

Since our Christmas is a little different this year with the older girls going different directions, we didn't have anything going on today. To help fill the void and for a change of pace, we went to Kentland for the Winter Wishes Wonderland. The whole evening was free. There was a zip line, giant rocking horse, ice skating, Christmas ornament decorating, warming tent, fireworks...

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The children in our church presented The Christmas Story tonight. Heather (in blue) played the part of Mary. Laura was Angel #1 with the main speaking part. Kara, Leah, and Nanna were part of the Heavenly Host. Following the program, we enjoyed food and fellowship with all of our guests. The auditorium was pretty full tonight with all of the children's friends and family.

Laura is on the far left. Nanna is right behind Joseph. Kara & Leah are the shorter ones in the back row.

Laura....Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

The cast

We took our picture tonight after the program when we were dressed up a little better than our pajamas like yesterday.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

This was a year of firsts and new traditions. This was our first Christmas as in-laws and grandparents. Since our family is growing and the older girls are starting lives and families of their own, we had to change a few things and start some new traditions.

Gammy with her two grandsons, Ryan (9 months) & Grady (6 weeks)

We always start Christmas morning with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls out of the tube and chocolate milk. This year we decided to do that today, the day we're all going to be together. We'll also do it again Christmas morning for those that will be home.

We spent the day in our jammies....opening gifts, eating, snacking, watching movies, eating, playing games, snacking, singing around the piano, eating, making paper airplanes, snacking, playing with new toys...

Twister has changed since we were kids...even since some of the kids were kids. They have added some new spaces on the spinner like "In the Air" (That's why their hands are up in the air.) and "Spinner's Choice" (Boy, did Gary have fun with that one!).

We all had a great time together...just being together. It doesn't seem to happen very often anymore!! We wish you all a very merry Christmas!!!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Erin made dog treats for Elly, Murphy, and Grandma's dog. We all wanted to try them while they were baking because they smelled so good! They have peanut butter in them.

As promised, I gave salsa to some of the men on my list. I made tags for the jars that say "Preserved Just for You" with my stamps and Big Shot.

The ladies at the bank received homemade hot chocolate mix and a salt dough ornament. Meagan and the girls made the ornaments while Gary & I were gone on the cruise. I should have taken pictures of all of them before I gave them away. Maybe I can find a few on the tree to take a picture of for the blog.

Some of the ladies on my list received a chicken and rice soup mix with a can of chicken. I hope it will be a good, warm meal for them and their families when they come home from a long day at work.

It's always fun to make some of our gifts. It just seems more special and gives us a sense of satisfaction. We hope it says to the recipient, "We care about you."

Friday, December 14, 2012

We went to my mom & dad's house in Spencer, Indiana, on Monday to help them get some things ready to have our family Christmas down there on the 29th. We took our camper down there and stayed Monday night. We left it down there to stay in the weekend we have Christmas because my sisters and their families will be taking up the bedrooms in the house.

The girls had a great time dressing up in the clothes Grandma got at the second-hand store. We also roasted hotdogs and marshmallows over the fireplace for supper.

Laura-patra...or is that Cleopatra?

Kara, Miss Sophistication

Leah looks like she came from the 1920's.

On Tuesday morning, Leah filled her hands with birdseed and went out to sit by the bird feeders in hopes that a bird would come sit on her hand. She sat there motionless for a long time. The birds came close, but didn't land on her. It was so sweet to see her sitting out there. The innocence of childhood!

Murphy found a comfy spot beside the wood stove in the shed while Gary & Dad worked on some electrical problems out there. They got a lot accomplished out there on Tuesday while some of us worked in the house cleaning and putting up Christmas decorations. We all worked together and accomplished a lot while having some good times too (as seen above).

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

If you remember the shelter house we built last fall, this is the same building. This summer we completely closed in the north side and put roll-up doors on the other 3 sides. This way we can have all 4 sides closed in for cold weather or have 3 sides open to catch the breeze in hot weather or close the west door down part way to block the setting sun from our eyes. My mom and dad had a wood stove that we installed in one corner. We cooked hotdogs and s'mores over it tonight. It was a fun evening.

Ryan went for his 9-month checkup today. He weighed 20 lbs. 12 oz. and was 29 inches tall. Isn't he just the cutest thing?!!! He is into everything now. We are trying to train him to stay out of Gammy's plants. He loves to dig in the dirt. We haven't attempted to put any presents under the tree because we don't want them all unwrapped. The girls will put him down by his toys, and he's over into their stuff in a flash! Christmas should be fun this year!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Heather with Ryan picking out the tree. We actually did buy this little tree to put on the deck to decorate. That's the first time we've ever done that, so I'm excited to see what it looks like when it's finished. We didn't have time to put that tree up tonight too.

Nanna, Heather, Ryan, Laura, Kara, and Leah

Ryan & Laura

Leah is hanging angel ornaments on Lainey's picture

Murphy, our "little" 6-month-old Great Dane puppy, is going to help Leah with the tree. Between him and Ryan this year, I hope the tree is still standing and decorated by December 24th.

As we were decorating the tree, I enjoyed telling the girls when we got this or that ornament or who it was from. Almost every ornament has a story....the glass beads that were on Gary's grandparents' tree...the cardinal ornament Gary's mom gave us our first Christmas for good luck....the ornaments I exchanged with the ladies I worked with the first year we were married....the ornament that was hand painted by a lady from our seed corn company....all the ornaments the girls have made over the years....and the angel that has topped our tree for the past 25 years. We alternate every year with a Frazier fir and a white pine. This year it's the white pine. We strung popcorn again for garland. The tree isn't complete yet because we need to pick up some icicles for the finishing touch. Ours isn't a tree that just stepped out of a department store or out of a magazine. None of the ornaments match. There is no theme or color scheme. It's a homespun tree filled with 25 years of memories.

We held a Christmas dinner concert on Thursday night at the Brook Community Center with Promise Trio and the Mark Trammell Quartet. We had about 140 people there for a wonderful evening of food, fellowship, and music. We were so pleased with how everything turned out and are working on plans to do it again next year. You can "like" Candlestick Promotions on Facebook to be notified of upcoming concerts.